Troon Golf & Travel, September/October 2017

26 TROON GOLF TRAVEL eMAGAZINE TROON GOLF TRAVEL eMAGAZINE 27 Thanks to a rather secluded location Hiddenbrooke Golf Club in Vallejo California feels like its tucked away from the world But its actually just 15 miles from Interstate 80 15 minutes from downtown Napa and under an hour from Oakland and San Francisco You really get the feeling that youre out playing golf by yourself in the middle of nowhere said General Manager Chris Bowman But youre actually not Its easy to get here and it just feels like a different world Opened in 1995 the Arnold Palmer Signature Course has always provided a strong test Theres not a ton of forced carries but you have to find the fairways said head professional Dan Durham The greens are tough too but the biggest challenge is off the tee You need to be pretty accurate The 6782 yard par 72 layout features numerous bunkers and plenty of water There are also a lot of elevation changes especially on the back nine where the holes get up into the hills Bowman said The fairways have some pretty good undulations so if youre not placing Hiddenbrooke Golf Club Vallejo Calif 707 558 0330 www HiddenbrookeGolf com AT A GLANCE AT A GLANCE WELCOME TO THE FAMILY WELCOME TO THE FAMILY Hiddenbrooke Golf Club Valley of the Eagles By Tom Mackin By Tom Mackin A WORLD APART TAKING FLIGHT your shots in the right area you can have some major issues On the front nine the downhill par 5 fifth stands out The dogleg left hole winds around and then tucks into a lake On the second nine which is set back into hills surrounding the course the dogleg right 16th features a split fairway with water on both sides The views peak literally on the par 3 13th and par 4 14th tee boxes Both provide a phenomenal view of the surrounding landscape including the upper portion of San Francisco Bay The club hosted the LPGAs Samsung Open from 2000 through 2002 with winners including Hall of Famers Juli Inkster and Annika Sorenstam Hiddenbrookes expansive clubhouse features a recently renovated meeting space a large pavilion area golf shop small grill tennis courts pool facility sauna and full locker rooms for men and women Its a pretty fantastic clubhouse for a public course said Bowman A new banquet space opened in May further elevating Hiddenbrookes position as one of the top wedding and event venues in the region Membership comes in two forms both of which include unlimited golf and access to all facilities 7 Day Membership 3600 annually per individual 4800 annually for couple and 5 Day Membership 2400 annually per individual 3600 for couple Its a pretty good bargain right now Bowman said Land along the Black River in Elyria Ohio some 25 miles west of downtown Cleveland was home to the private Spring Valley Country Club since 1926 Thats no longer the case New ownership hired Nicklaus Design to create a different and more accessible course on the same site and the Valley of the Eagles debuted in August Its a new routing with all new holes said General Manager Ray Metz The response has already been overwhelming The previous facility was well known but private so to have Nicklaus Design come in and build an entirely new public course is very exciting Valley of the Eagles is also Nicklaus first public course in northern Ohio The Black River which flows into Lake Erie runs through the course in serpentine fashion coming into play on 11 holes including the final nine The par 4 14th even has an island tee and green in the middle of the tributary Shot after shot the river comes in play Metz said Its not a little stream either The water levels rise and fall within the river bed on a daily basis so the scenery is always changing The heavily wooded layout also has drastic elevation changes uncommon in the greater Cleveland area with views of 80 foot high cliffs across the river serving as the backdrop to many holes The second and 11th holes both dogleg left par 5s parallel each other with elevated tees 50 feet above their respective fairways The par 3 seventh is the highest point on the property the green is perched on a hillside with an infinity view backdrop Keep an eye out for the bald eagles that nest along the river banks Daily fee rates will range from 35 to 60 including cart In addition Valley of the Eagles is offering an Annual Pass Program which provides golfers with unlimited play Annual Passes for 2018 are expected to include single 1900 couple 2800 and family 3100 Off the course the existing 24000 square foot clubhouse was fully renovated and now includes an outdoor beer garden a fine dining restaurant a banquet space and six golf simulators in the golf shop which is attached to the new Black River Tavern At the latter Chef John Cafarelli an Ohio native serves up comfort and locally sourced food plus inventive cocktails such as bacon infused vodka martinis A woodstone hearth oven is used to make Neapolitan style pizzas Were really excited about the work the Nicklaus Design team led by David Savic has done here and are confident that with Troons proven agronomic and service level standards golfers will thoroughly enjoy the experience offered by Valley of the Eagles Metz said Valley of the Eagles Elyria Ohio 440 365 1411 www ValleyEagles com

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